Photography by Cynthia Mackowick – Traun

Tag Archives: Lake Pepin

This trip brought us through the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest which is located in Southeastern Minnesota. The Zumbro River twists and turns as it flows through the lower Zumbro River Valley and right through this beautiful state forest..

When it comes to backroading, we have come across some “sticky” situations- The first that comes to mind is a trip we took that celebrated Earth Day literally, or take a peak at Dan’s post on our “Sticky” situation that one Earth Day as we made a Mud Pie. That, truly was a “sticky” situation that really got us stuck!

This day we were not stuck per say, it was the hope that the car keeps moving in the direction we wanted it to. Driving through the beautiful area of Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest and the Zumbro River bottoms after a winter ice storm may not have been the best idea ever, but we were enjoying the day. We stopped at the information area to view a map so that we may actually travel on a paved road. The shortest route was the path we chose, the road was flat and our Chevy Equinox was plowing through the fresh ice and snow perfectly. Well, the road (or one lane path) started heading up the side of a bluff. With no way to turn around, we had to move forward and finish our trek. One quick look out my passenger window and I noticed the step drop off, which caused a slight whimper noise to escape out of my mouth. We both knew that if we stopped, we were in some deep doo-doo. We look at each other and saw the worry in each other’s eyes. “I think we might be using up a ninth life right now”, said Dan. We held our breath and eventually made it to the top… WE MADE IT! With steamy windows we moved on down a safer path, giving thanks to both of our guardian angels.

Please enjoy the images from this particular trip in and around the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest in Winter.

We awoke to find the atmosphere was thick with fog again on that early March morning. The fog or mist can emphasize depth, light, shapes, silhouettes and I love the way the water droplets scatter light. The morning brought us to Frontenac, MN a small rural town located on the mighty Mississippi just southeast of Red Wing, MN. Frontenac State Park was our first stop, the park is known as a birdwatchers’ paradise and is one of the best spots in the country to view birds migrating in the spring and fall. If you travel this way, take a nature walk on one of the parks great hiking trails and enjoy the beautiful valley views.

Close by the state park is a small public boat launch located in the historic village of Old Frontenac. A walk along that beach is usually calming but your heart rate can increase when you car chased by some kind of large, dead fish on a stick by someone who will remain nameless… Dan 🙂

After Dan had his fun with the what ever that was on a stick, we packed up our camera gear and headed back on the road. Sometimes we don’t use our GPS and end up near a city that we weren’t intending to visit on that day. I think that is the fun of it all- traveling on back-roads leading to… well, we find out. Passing many photo opportunities along the way, you never know what a day spent traveling on unfamiliar roads will bring.